


Waiting for Their Own

by Polished07



Category: The 1975 (Band)
Genre: M/M, and it gets a little fluffy, matty and george adopt a baby, okay a lot fluffy, the story is just a compilation of a bunch of little happy moment throughout their adoption process
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:30:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8689570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polished07/pseuds/Polished07
Summary: After a few years of marriage, Matty and George decide that they want something more, and they look into having a baby of their own.





	

Matty stretched his legs out in front of him as he sat on the living room couch, his socked feet resting comfortably on the padded ottoman. On his lap was a plate of the dinner he had picked up not even an hour ago, some pizza from a neighborhood restaurant. He rested the dish on his legs as he reached for the TV remote. 

“Is there anything that’s on at eight on a Wednesday?” George asked as he plopped down next to Matty on the couch. He toed off his work shoes once he sat, the shiny brown dress shoes clonking onto their living room rug.

Matty started clicking through channels, his face blank as he looked for something vaguely interesting. “Not that I know of.” 

George munched on his pizza, watching the TV screen flash before him. “Oh, wait, go back to that! I haven’t seen that show in ages.” 

Matty flicked back through a few channels, coming to rest on an older TV show that was probably on its hundredth rerun. He set the remote down and picked up his pizza. 

They ate in silence, not really paying attention to the TV. Matty knew where his thoughts were, but he wondered what George would think once he made them known. He was a little nervous, but he knew George would never be angry at him for this. There was a possibility that he would be surprised, but Matty held onto the hope that they may feel the same way. 

Once the TV episode ended and the next show started, an odd one that neither of them had heard of before, Matty turned off the TV. Their dirty plates lay discarded next to them on the sofa and the empty pizza box on the table in front of them. During the show the two of them had slowly migrated into a more comfortable position and now were snuggled close together on the couch. 

“Tell me about your day, love,” Matty said, his fingertips resting on his husband’s chest. “How did the conference call go?”

George sighed tiredly, and filled in Matty on the bits about his day. Of course, by now this was routine, but neither of them were tired of hearing about each other’s day, despite how they spent time talking about it every evening. When George finished, he asked Matty about his own. 

“I spent some time with Louis after I picked him up from school,” he said, shrugging. Louis, his younger brother, was almost finished with school. “Nothing of that much importance.” 

“Did you work on your draft at all?” George asked. 

Matty shrugged again. He knew that draft was due by Monday morning for the news company he worked for, but he barely had half of it finished. “I had other things on my mind.” 

George cocked his head, getting an angle to see Matty’s face which rested on his chest. “Other things?” 

Matty bit his lip. He knew he was bad at hiding things from people, but he didn’t know George would be able to get it out of him so quickly. Despite his own lack of desire to tell his husband what had been brewing in his mind, he felt George’s gaze on him and knew he couldn’t hide it for much longer. “We can talk about it later, love,” he prompted in attempt to shrug off the concept as if it wasn’t important. 

George sat up a bit straighter, judging his husband’s emotions. “Tell me, darling.” 

Matty sighed. “Well, I was thinking, I don’t know. It was just an idea…”

“What, Matty?” 

“Do you remember last week? When we went shopping to get a birthday present for Ross?” 

“Yeah,” George said, although he had no idea how this related to what was going on Matty’s mind. 

“And we passed that baby store? The one with all the little clothes and toys and cribs and stuff?” 

“Did you want to get Ross a gag gift from there or something?” George asked, suddenly arriving at the conclusion that Matty must have changed their mind about Ross’s present, but his reasoning was faulty, at best, and he knew it. Something from a baby store for Ross would just be weird. 

“No, no. It just got me thinking,” Matty said, the words catching in his throat, and suddenly speaking became so much harder than usual. He shifted his legs, crossing and uncrossing them. His lips and tongue suddenly felt quite heavy, but he managed the words anyway. “George, I want a baby.” 

George didn’t say anything for a moment. It hadn’t taken him completely by surprise, as he knew they both knew they wanted to have kids one day, but ‘one day’ was always what they said, and it seemed to be a sufficient deadline in the past. Had the ‘one day’ they’d been discussing since they were dating finally arrived? But still, George still felt so young, so unworthy of a child, and it wasn’t something he had considered seriously yet. Still, he considered what their lives were now. He considered Matty, the man he loved so much, and their lives together, how happy they were, and it struck him how much their lives had settled into a routine. Perhaps the routine was too monotonous now, and if he thought about it, he didn’t want to be in this routine forever. Something else was missing. “Do you?” He knew Matty did, but rather he asked the question to gauge Matty’s seriousness on the issue.

“Yes. I can’t stop thinking about what our lives would be like if we did,” Matty said, and then paused. “It would be a good change, I think.” He peered nervously at George, trying to read his expression. George was always the one to ponder decisions more seriously out of the two of them, and took longer to make up his mind. Matty knew this, of course, but couldn’t help but feel nervous at George’s initial pause. 

“We haven’t really talked about it in a while, have we?” George said, remembering the last time they had talked about it seriously a few years prior. They were newlyweds then, fresh off of their honeymoon and without a home that was really theirs yet. They decided to postpone then, to allow themselves time to enjoy the marriage and establish their lives together a bit more firmly. It was different now, they were different now. 

“Not in a while, no,” Matty replied, “but I want to talk about it. I want us to consider it.” 

George was considering it, and very seriously at that. He ran through every aspect of having a baby that he could think of. They were financially able, and their relationship stable enough. Then he changed his thought process, and imagined what it would be like to have a child that was his and Matty’s. He thought of Matty, with a small baby on his chest, sitting in a little nursery they would decorate together. He felt a smile tease at his lips. 

“What are you smiling about?” 

George looked up and blushed. “You with our baby.” 

Matty tried to hold in his grin by biting his lip. He scooted a bit closer to George, his grip on George’s hand tightening. “Is that a yes?” he asked. 

George caught his gaze. He hesitated for a moment, the dark brown color in Matty’s eyes capturing his attention. Then, he just knew, and struck with the realization that he knew what he wanted, he answered. “It’s a yes.” 

.:.

Ross took a long swig from his beer as he sat at the counter of the bar. He was exhausted after a long week at work, and as per tradition, he and George stopped by their favorite bar to grab drinks on their way home Friday evening. Tired of talking about work all week, the two of them used it as an occasion to separate themselves, and their friendship, from work.

“How are things with John?” George asked his best friend, referring to Ross’s husband.

Ross smiled. “He’s lovely, to be quite honest. I knew he would be, even months after we got married. I don’t know what a twat like me did to get someone like him.” He took another sip of beer. “He still surprises me, you know? Like with little things…” he trailed off. “We’re looking at those new apartments downtown. Bit more expensive, but it’s closer to work and the city and the place is so much nicer than the dump we live in now.” 

“It’s not a dump,” George consoled him. 

“We only get hot water at certain times of day because the landlord won’t fix that damn water heater,” he laughed. “Besides, I wear a suit to work, I should be able to live in a somewhat decent place, you know?” 

George nodded. “Yeah.” 

“You and Matty have a nice place, you know? You always have us over for dinners and such. I’m tired of not being able to host anything because the dining room is an office and storage room. We don’t really want a house though, otherwise we’d look in your neighborhood for something, it’s so nice,” he said. 

“Thank you,” George replied. “I know Matty loves living there. It’s quiet enough for him to work at home, he has his own workspace and everything.” 

“Is he still working for that online news company? Forgot the name of it-” 

“Yeah, he loves it,” George replied. “He’s never been one for sticking to a nine-to-five schedule anyway, so the writing towards a deadline is good for him. He’s often up in the middle of the night working on his laptop in bed.” 

“He was like that in high school, too,” Ross sighed, reminiscing. “Well, I guess we all were, but he always found a way to get his stuff done after midnight and not a second sooner,” he laughed. The three of them had been friends for as long as they had been proper people, and although they were somewhat different from when they first met, some things never changed. “Anything new with you guys?” 

George played with the rim of water his glass of beer left on the bar. He wasn’t sure whether or not to confide in Ross, but he was his closest friend, and he couldn’t help himself. “We’re, uh, well, we’re trying to adopt a baby.” 

Ross paused mid-sip and his eyes grew wide. “Really? Like, from an agency and all that?” 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “We submitted the final bit of paperwork last night. Took us a while to get everything together, but yeah.” 

“I can’t believe it!” Ross exclaimed. “That’s amazing. Who would’ve thought my two best friends would be having a baby…” 

“Well, I mean it’s not certain, really. Someone has to choose us first, and that’s no guarantee, but otherwise, we’re just waiting for a call. It could be next week, but it’ll probably take a long time.” 

“Kind of like other couples, when they try for one,” Ross said. “Still, I mean you’re on the list, right? That’s pretty serious.” 

George nodded. “We haven’t told anyone, not yet. Matty’s more optimistic than I am. I’m worried no one will choose us, you know?” 

“Someone will choose you,” Ross said confidently. “Come on, you’re at the right age, you work at a law firm for goodness sake, and Matty works from the house, which is perfect for the kid. Any person would be crazy to not choose you guys.” 

Somehow, even though Ross was his best friend and George knew he was just trying to cheer him up, he couldn’t help but let Ross’s words help him feel better. 

“Let’s order another round,” Ross said, “to celebrate.” He flagged down the bartender and ordered two more beers. 

“Alright, alright, last one though. I have a movie night scheduled with Matty tonight, we’ve got this show on Netflix that we’re really into…” 

.:.

“I found it!” Matty called from under the stairs, referring to the box of Christmas ornaments he and George had been looking for over the past half hour. They knew they were under the stairs somewhere, along with a score of other unlabeled opaque storage boxes. 

“Can you get it out?” George asked from beyond the crawl space opening, as he was too large to get under the stairs and check all the boxes for himself. Every time they needed something from under there, that job fell to Matty. 

Matty fidgeted with some boxes from deep within the space, and George doubted he would ever get the box out without breaking a sweat. “Yeah, yeah, hold on, I just have to wedge it out of here.” 

George stepped back when Matty emerged from the dark space, crawling on his knees to fit through the door. “Do you need-” he started, but his husband cut him off. 

“I got it, I got it,” Matty said, and with a little bit of effort and adjusting his angle, he managed to pull the box free. He collapsed backwards onto his bum, his cheeks a rosy red from being under the stairs for so long, where it was cramped and warm and no doubt uncomfortable. “There,” he laughed, wiping the dust off his pants. 

“You missed a bit,” George commented, and plucked a small dust bunny from Matty’s hair. 

Matty smiled at him, and together, they carried the large box into their living room, where their tree was already put together but severely lacking in terms of decoration. The room looked more like the holidays already though, as their fireplace glowed with the warmth of the fire and Christmas tunes played softly from the speakers. They set the box on the floor, and George popped off the lid. Inside, there were lots of bright colors of their glass ornaments, red and green and gold, with bunches of white tissue paper between all of them to prevent breakage. 

“Do you want to hang the first one?” Matty asked. In their home, the first ornament to go on the tree and the last one they took off was one that was a photo of the two of them at their wedding a few years prior. In it, Matty laughed gleefully at the camera, the top buttons of his tux unfastened, and his hair a bit of a mess, no doubt from dancing with their friends all evening. George also had a large smile on his face, but his gaze fell on Matty. Their arms wrapped around each other, like they were in the middle of dancing when the camera’s flash went off. 

“You got the box out, you should do it,” George said, and picked the ornament out of its tissue paper, as it lay neatly on top of everything else. He dusted it off a bit, looking at the two of them in their suits and their slightly younger faces, and smiled to himself. He handed the ornament to Matty, who placed it at eye-level on the tree. 

“That’s still my favorite photo of us,” Matty commented, taking a moment to look at the picture himself. “I still feel like that was just last week or something.” 

George hung a small gold glass ornament next to it on the tree. “It does sometimes, doesn’t it?” 

“Maybe at this time next year, we’ll have a new photo of our family that’s our favorite,” Matty said suggestively as he caught George’s eye. 

George knew what he meant, and he couldn’t help himself but to think of what a family photo of theirs would look like a year from now. Perhaps it would be a photo of them taken at the park together, Matty and George with a small baby in Matty’s arms, bundled up in a warm coat and tiny boots. He felt his heart swell in his chest, despite how he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He found himself unable to reply with anything besides “maybe.” 

Matty didn’t miss the sudden change in his husband’s demeanor. “It could happen, love,” he said. “We’ve been on the list for nearly six months now.” 

George nodded. “I know.” He busied himself with straightening an ornament he’d just hung up, a glass one in the shape of a nutcracker. As much as he wanted to hope that it would, he couldn’t imagine the huge crushing feeling that would come over him if this time next year came and went without a baby.

Matty looked at him worriedly, and George felt his insides melting under his gaze. “We don’t have to talk about it, love,” Matty said, brushing his fingers along George’s shoulder. “I understand.” 

George shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he frowned, his eyes squeezed shut. “I don’t want, I don’t know if we’ll ever…” he stuttered with his words. He hadn’t admitted that he was this stressed out about the process, not to anyone, but the upcoming holiday seemed to make him feel even more let down by the indefinite period of time that they would have to wait. 

Matty pulled him into his arms, squeezing tightly around George’s waist. He rested his head just under George’s chin. “We’ll be okay either way, alright?” he consoled, speaking softly. He felt George’s arms hesitantly wrap around his chest and rest there for a moment, and then George squeezed him tightly and kissed the top of his head. “We will,” he echoed. 

They stayed there for a while, standing in front of their mostly-decorated tree and holding each other close. The Christmas songs continued from their stereo, and George didn’t remember who moved first, but soon they were dancing slowly together like they had at their wedding. George also didn’t remember who moved their head first, but the next thing he knew they were kissing, which meant more to him than anything else in that moment. Matty would always be here for him, and he knew it. 

He cupped his hands around Matty’s face, pulling him close, and when the back of his knees hit the couch, he didn’t bother trying to balance himself and instead fell backwards, pulling Matty down with him. Their teeth clattered together as they moved, which made Matty giggle and kiss George again softly and tighten his hands in his hair. 

When Matty climbed onto George and felt the hardness in his pants, he didn’t object, and instead moved himself against it, slowly sliding back and forth. He savored the way the George responded to him, the way he felt underneath him, and placed soft wet kisses all down George’s jawline. 

George whimpered underneath him, and with a mutual desperation for each other, they began pulling at each other’s clothes. George got Matty’s sweater off in one quick movement and tossed it out of their way, running his fingertips over the exposed flesh that prickled with goosebumps as he moved. 

Matty breathed hotly into his mouth as he did so. “I wish,” he paused, his lips pressing wetly to George’s, “I wish I could give us a baby,” he whispered, slowing his pace on top of George to a slow constant pressure.  
“Matty,” George whispered as he looked up into his face, his eyes dark with desire and hair messy from where he had ruffled it. Of course he had thought of it before, how easy it would be if one of them were able to carry their child themselves, but neither of them had admitted to feeling that way in the past. 

“I do,” Matty admitted. “I wish I could. We might already be expecting one,” he sighed in defeat, his own form slouching underneath George’s hands. 

“Don’t,” George said, running his hands up his spine, the chilled skin smooth against his fingers. “We’ll do it in our own way, love,” he kissed the top of Matty’s shoulders. “It’ll happen when it’s supposed to.” He felt Matty’s head move in a steady nodding motion against his neck. 

They paused, their breaths warm against each other’s bodies in their close proximity. Matty felt himself pulsing against George, hot and desperate to be touched, to remove the layers of whatever clothing remained between them and feel all of George against him. “Can we just,” he paused, biting his lip and brushing a few fingers along the nape of George’s neck, “can we pretend that I can? That we’re trying?” His words were so quiet that even with his mouth right next to George’s ear, he was barely heard. 

For an unknown reason, the idea brought comfort to George, that they were being proactive in the process, that the child was a direct result of something they did, and not something they had to wait hopelessly to happen. When he nodded and squeezed his fingers at Matty’s hips, Matty breathed heavily into his ear and started sucking gently just under his earlobe, making soft wet noises. 

George pressed up against Matty with his hips, and the two of them eagerly continued to touch and press and pull desperately at each other, never able to get close enough. 

When George lifted Matty by his legs and turned him onto his back, the two of them falling onto the couch again, Matty smiled up at him hazily, and when George filled him, he moaned in pleasure and reached to grab onto George’s shoulders, or arms, or whatever part of him he could reach. He just wanted them closer together, to feel more of George’s hot skin against his own. 

They moved together slowly, yet with enough passion to warm their bodies exceptionally even though it was a bit cold in their house. Matty adored the way George’s slick skin looked in the firelight, the way he could look over George’s shoulder and down his back and see his waist thrusting against his own. The sight alone was enough to make him come, squirting over both of their bellies, and George followed soon after, emptying himself completely into Matty. The two lay breathless on the couch, wrapped around each other, until they grew cold, but even then they refused to move, and simply reached for the throw over the back of the couch to cover themselves and lazily kissed until their lips became numb. 

.:.

When Matty’s brother, Louis, had off of school in the summers, he spent more time with his brother, frequently spending the long days or even sleeping over at Matty and George’s place. Matty never minded, of course, and was often grateful for the company while he spent the afternoons working towards his deadline and waiting for George to come home. Louis talked about their parents, his school, his friends, whatever came to his mind, and Matty loved spending time with him. 

“What’s mum up to this week?” Matty asked him, as they sat together at the kitchen table eating the sandwiches Matty put together for them. Louis stayed over the night before, so now he wore some fresh clothes he’d borrowed from Matty’s closet. He chewed a bit more on his sandwich before answering. 

“She’s busy sorting out the garden. That storm last week uprooted all the flowers she planted in May, so she’s fixing what she can and replanting what needs to be replaced. She’s so stressed about it, it’s driving me mad.” 

Matty smiled, remembering how he had never understood his mother’s obsession with her garden when he was a teenager. “Did she make you go to that gardening store with her?” 

“Yes,” Louis sighed, rolling his eyes. “Twice.” 

Laughing, Matty took another bite of his sandwich, and he felt a bit of mayo spread along his lip. He wiped it with one of the paper napkins on the table. “What about Dad?” he said, speaking from behind the napkin as he chewed. “Is he still working that job up in the city?” 

His brother nodded. “Yeah, but he really likes it. I haven’t seen him in a while, he’s so busy. I’ll have more to tell you after I see him this weekend.” 

Just then, Matty’s phone started buzzing, signaling an incoming call. He glanced at the caller ID, half expecting it to be from an unknown number, but to his surprise, he saw George’s name on the screen. His husband never called in the middle of the day, especially in the middle of the month when his office was busiest. “It’s George,” he told his brother. “Do you mind if I take it?” 

Louis shook his head, meaning that he didn’t mind, and took a big bite out of his sandwich before he subconsciously opened his phone to check on his notifications and social media. 

Matty pressed the green accept call button. “Hey, love,” he said, holding the phone to his ear.

“Matty,” George responded breathlessly. “Matty darling, I just got a call-” 

“A call?” Matty suddenly felt his ribs squeeze tightly around his heart. He dropped his sandwich onto his plate, not caring that the pieces of meat and bread fell apart. He quickly stood to his feet. “From-” 

“From the agency!” George nearly shouted, his voice cracking. “Matty, someone chose us, someone picked us!” From the background, Matty heard Ross’s voice and he called into George’s office. He too sounded excited. 

Matty felt the tears in his eyes almost immediately. “You’re serious?” 

“Matty!” George said again, and Matty could picture just how much he smiled from his tone. “Matty, we’re getting a baby!” 

Matty started crying, the tears welling in his eyes before he could stop them. Louis now stood from the table too, sensing the change in his brother’s mood, although he didn’t know what was happening. 

“Oh my god,” he cried, pressing a hand to the side of his face. “George, come home, please, I need to see you, oh my god, George!” The words fell from his mouth, unable to express anything besides the overwhelming surge of happiness running through him. 

“What’s going on?” Louis asked him, but Matty just smiled and shook his head. 

“Is Louis there?” George asked, his voice sounding as distraught as Matty felt. 

“Yes, he’s right here,” Matty said, his hands shaking as he held the phone. 

“Tell him, tell him, oh my god Matty,” George said quickly. “I’m taking the rest of the day off, I’ll be home soon, love. We need to celebrate.” 

Matty nodded. “Please come home darling, I need to see you. I love you so much.” 

“I love you,” George replied, and blew a kiss through the phone. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Let’s pull out one of those really nice bottles we keep in the bar and never use.” 

Matty laughed, his vision blurring through his tears. “Of course, I’ll be waiting for you, love.” 

“Until then,” George said, and then the phone clicked as he hung up. 

Matty listened to his phone even after the line went dead, but he was still in shock at what had just happened. 

“Matty?” Louis asked again. “What’s going on?” He looked nervously as his brother, not sure why he was suddenly in tears. 

Matty wiped his face, trying to form his words so he could explain everything to his brother. Where did he even begin? “George and I, we’ve been trying to adopt, you see,” he laughed a bit, his voice rough from crying, and he wiped at his face again. “The agency just called George. We’re getting a baby.” Even as he said it, the words didn’t feel real, like this was all a dream that he would wake up from in the morning, like he had done so many times already. Despite that, something told him that this was all still real, and when Louis’ face lit up, Matty felt like the happiest person in the world.

.:.

Even as they knocked on the front door, Matty felt jittery. He adjusted his shirt again on his shoulders and smoothed his hair back. 

“You okay?” George asked him as they waited for George’s parents to answer the door. 

The night was warm, a usual temperature for a July evening. Even so, Matty was so wired that he nearly shook from excitement. He nodded to George. “It’s a big night,” he said. 

George gripped his hand. “It is.” They smiled at each other. 

Just then, the door clicked as it unlocked and swung open. George’s father stood in the door frame, and his mother was just over his shoulder. 

The couples greeted each other happily and George’s parents welcomed the boys into their home. Matty had been here a million times before, as it was the same house George lived in when they first met in high school. It felt different now that George no longer lived here, but the memories would never leave him. After all, their first kiss occurred just up the stairs, in secret when they were eighteen and had no idea what their feelings for each other truly meant. How different things were now. 

“I’ve got dinner already on the table,” George’s mom, Barbara, said. “Please sit down. Would either of you like some wine?” 

And so their dinner started, catching up with each other’s lives since the last time they’d seen each other. It had been a while, longer than it should have been. George and Matty only lived just under an hour’s drive from them, yet they hadn’t a meal together in nearly three months. 

Matty remained distracted, his thoughts drifting to why George had scheduled this dinner with them in the first place. His parents still didn’t know that they were expecting a baby, or even that they submitted an application for an adoption. This would no doubt be a big surprise for them.

They wanted to tell them sooner, of course, but as George’s parents were recently retired and busy travelling, there wasn’t a lot of weekends they had available for a dinner with their son and son-in-law. This was the first weekend they had available, nearly a month after Matty and George first heard the news themselves. 

In order to keep things fair between Matty and George’s family, they decided to tell them on the same day. Only just that morning, Matty and George had lunch with Matty’s mother to tell her the news. Louis was there too, who already knew they were expecting a baby, but he had kept his promise and the news remained unheard by his mother. They soon thereafter visited Matty’s dad as well, so now his family knew. 

That was only earlier this afternoon, and Matty still buzzed with pride and loved replaying his memories of his parents’ reactions. He knew this evening was about George, and he hoped his parents would take the news just as well. 

Once the dishes were cleared and only the glasses of wine remained, George swayed the conversation towards his sisters, and then asked his mother about her current grandchild. 

“Wait until you see Lucie at Christmas,” she sighed. “She’s walking already! She got into everything when she was here a few weeks ago.” 

Georg cleared his throat. “Well, uh,” he exchanged a quick glance with Matty for encouragement, “what if you got another grandchild? Before Christmas?” 

Barbara didn’t seem to catch what he was insinuating, but George’s dad did. He heavily set down his glass and looked from George to Matty and then back to George. Matty smiled and blushed, his lip pinched between his teeth. 

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Neither of your sisters is-” but then she caught the pinkness in Matty’s cheeks, and the smile on George’s face, and she suddenly knew. 

“B-before Christmas?” she said, shocked, hesitant to believe what she thought was true. 

“We’re adopting a baby,” George told her, “in November.” 

The last part of his sentence was hard to hear as his mother let out a squeal and jumped to her feet, hurrying around the table, with her arms outstretched. “Georgie! Why didn’t you tell me at the beginning of dinner, my goodness!” She took her son in her arms, his height towering over her but she reached for him nonetheless. “What wonderful news!” She exclaimed, releasing her son to hug Matty next.

“November, eh?” His dad asked. “That’s not too far away.” 

“Four months. Well, actually, three months and two weeks until her due date,” Matty smiled, the thought of it alone making him happy. 

“Until her due date?” Barbara jumped in. “It’s a girl?” 

“It’s a girl,” George confirmed, the smile on his face stretching from ear to ear. 

His mother squealed again, and his father smiled. “We’ll have two granddaughters,” he said to his wife, which made her laugh for joy. 

“What about the mom? Do you know anything about her?” Barbara asked. “Do you talk to her at all?” 

“Ah, no, actually,” George said. “It’s a closed adoption, meaning that she doesn’t know us and we don’t know her. We have a social worker that communicates between us as necessary,” he said. “We know that the baby’s a girl, and she’s due on November 12th.” He reached for his wallet in the pocket of his jeans. “Here,” he said, opening it and handing it to his mother so she could see the picture in the clear window. “That’s the most recent sonogram photo.” 

“November 12th,” his mother repeated, taking the wallet from her son and staring at the small black and white outline on the page, committing it to memory. She cooed over the photo, commenting on how much technology had advanced since she’d had her own kids. Once she handed the photo to her husband so he could see, she pulled her phone out and began typing the due date into her calendar slowly with her index finger. “Have you told your sisters yet?” she asked. 

“We will,” George said. “We’re planning to call them later tonight.”

His mother smiled again, and George’s father stood to refill everyone’s wine glasses. “A toast,” he proposed, “to Matty, George, and their daughter,” he said as he raised his glass. All four of them raised their glasses as well, gently clinking them together and then taking a sip. 

Matty and George exchanged a glance as they drank, their expressions easy to read by each other. 

“You know,” Barbara said, “I remember when your sister told me she was expecting Lucie…” and she continued with the story, reminiscing at the arrival of her first granddaughter the year prior. Matty and George politely sat through the story, even though they had heard it a thousand times before. George’s mother loved her grandchild to pieces. 

As she talked, Matty daydreamed about the day when his own daughter would be the subject of happy stories such as this one, and squeezed George’s hand under the table. 

.:.

“Okay, what about Jocelyn?” Matty asked, peering up at George over his reading glasses. It was a Tuesday night, right before they went to sleep, and Matty sat in his pajamas in their large king bed and read from the book of baby names they had bought online the week before. 

George shook his head from the bathroom where he brushed his teeth. He too was in his pajamas, although his had more cloth to them than Matty’s. George liked sleeping in his plaid pants, unlike Matty, who usually just slept naked. Tonight was a rare occasion where Matty wore a large old t-shirt to bed. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Matty said as he ran his finger further down the list and said the names in his head. “Josephine?” 

George shrugged, and spit his mouthful of toothpaste into the sink. “Too long, she already has the last name of Healy-Daniel.” He turned on the tap to rinse his mouth.

“True,” he said, “but I don’t want her to have a really short name either, you know?” He messed his hair up as he continued to read.

George wiped his mouth on his hand towel before turning to leave the bathroom, flicking the light switch off as he went. He watched Matty, who was so focused on the book that a small crease had formed between his eyebrows, as it did when he was really close to a deadline and wasn’t finished writing yet. 

When George climbed into bed, he slid over next to Matty, and then gently pressed the pad of his finger between Matty’s brows. He felt the crease relax beneath his touch. “You haven’t stopped reading that book since it came in the mail today,” he observed.

Matty didn’t lift his eyes from the page. “This is important, George.” 

George moved his hand down Matty’s chest. “We have some time to figure it out, love.” He toyed with the hem of Matty’s shirt. 

Matty folded down the corner of the page and closed the book, setting it on his chest. “We only have three months.” 

George pressed his lips to the side of his shoulder, just where his t-shirt ended and his skin was exposed. “That’s a lot of time,” he said softly. “Don’t stress about it yet, okay? You’re already tense,” he kissed up Matty’s shoulder and across his collarbone, shifting his weight more towards Matty’s center. 

“Are you going to relax me?” Matty asked with a chuckle, pushing the book to the side as George climbed on top of him. 

“If you’ll let me,” George said softly against his neck, “I intend to.” 

Matty didn’t protest, and when George kissed further down his neck and then slid down his body, he begged for him to continue and pushed all the stressful thoughts of choosing a name to the back of his mind. 

.:.

“What about this one?” Ross asked, gesturing to a crib with a dark wood finish. Matty came over from where he stood further down the aisle, considering another crib that fit the measurements of the room. 

John, Ross, George, and Matty had all been out at lunch earlier in the day, munching happily as they discussed their work and plans for the upcoming baby, when Matty brought up that he was in need of visiting the baby store nearby. He only brought it up to George so that they could remember to stop by at a later time, but John, once hearing how close the store was, insisted that the four of them make a stop there after lunch. This was where they found themselves now, strolling up and down countless aisles of baby toys, furniture, and clothing. Today, George and Matty were specifically focused on furniture, as most of the nursery was finished, but a few vital pieces were missing, like a crib. 

Matty bent closer to the tag on the side and read off the measurements. “Yeah, I mean that would fit. George, what do you think?” 

George looked over, as he was busy looking at the crib on the opposite side of the aisle. “Hmm,” he said pensively. “I quite like the wood color. It will look good with the yellow walls, don’t you think?” 

“I like it,” John said, speaking up enthusiastically. “It’s not too decorative, you know? Still modern, but not too plain either.” 

George looked at the price tag. “That’s not too bad. I mean, it’s a bit closer to our budget that I’d like, but it’s not too expensive. It looks like a nice one.” 

“They all look nice, George,” Matty reminded him. “And some have got this, and some have got that, and most of these bells and whistles I don’t even know what to do with.” He slouched, discouraged. “I give up, just pick one.”

“It’s okay, love, we’ll find one,” George said, sensing his husband’s patience wearing thin. Even he had to admit there were a lot to choose from. “There will be one that just works for us, yeah?” 

“But what if we get the wrong one?” Matty worriedly asked. “Then what?” 

“I think you could return it,” Ross said. “It’s just a crib, Matty, it’s not the end of the world if you choose the wrong one.” 

“There’s still at least twenty to choose from,” Matty said, deflated, “and that’s just in this store.” 

George caught Matty’s gaze and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Matty had been hard on himself lately, stressing about both choosing a name and preparing the nursery for the baby’s rapidly upcoming arrival. No wonder he patience was wearing thin, George realized. 

“Ross, why don’t you and Matty go to the clothing section and pick out some things?” George suggested. “I’ll meet you over there in a minute. I read in one of my books that you need twice as many onesies as you think you’ll need, so there’s no way we have enough.”

Even though it was a small distraction, it seemed to work. Matty perked up a bit, relieved at not having to deal with a decision as heavily weighted as a crib. He even smiled a bit and teased George for bringing up something about babies yet again that he read in one of his books. George spent all his spare time these days educating himself about caring for a baby. 

“We want to buy some stuff, too,” Ross said on behalf of John and himself before they paired off and headed in separate ways. “It’s customary, isn’t it?” 

Matty smirked. “Like a baby shower?” 

John’s face lit up. “Yes! Like that, except without all the fuss. Just show us what you need, we’ll pitch in some stuff.” 

George shook his head. “You really don’t have to, I mean, it’s not a big deal.” 

Refusing to take no for an answer, John continued. “Do you have enough receiving blankets yet?” 

George was about to refuse him again, but he didn’t want to lie. The truth was that they didn’t have any receiving blankets yet, and he hadn’t even thought of needing to buy such a thing. 

“That’s settled, then,” Ross said as he and Matty left the furniture section to head towards the clothes. “We’ll get some things for her while we’re here.” 

George smiled appreciatively. Once Ross and Matty were out of earshot, he turned back to John. “Alright, let’s see if we can make this easier for Matty,” he said. “Maybe we can narrow it down to two or three options, yeah? And then show those to Matty after we’re done with the clothes and see if he likes any of those.” 

John nodded. “You know him well.” 

The two of them walked the aisles dedicated to cribs up and down and up again, waiting until they had a few good choices that had a nice color, design, and safety rating, as well as fitting the dimensions of the room and remaining within budget. Only then did they leave to join Ross and Matty in the clothing section.

When the four of them left the store that day, they each carried a large bag of baby clothes to the car, as well as a receipt folded into one of the bags with the promise of a crib to be delivered later in the week. 

.:.

The remaining months until November passed in a blur but somehow felt agonizingly slow at the same time. Matty and George remained busy constantly, working overtime to save up hours so they could take off work when the baby came, and any evenings they had were spent putting final touches on the nursery. Even when everything had been purchased, assembled, and put into place, they frequently spent evenings in there together anyway, tidying things up or folding any new clothes they bought. 

Everything became much more real once George received a call from the agency in early November, telling them that the baby’s mother was in active labor and that the child would be arriving soon. George nearly passed out when he received the call, but thankfully he was close enough to a chair to be able to sit down and relay the news to Matty. 

Once they knew that she was nearly here, their lives became stagnant as they anxiously waited. They texted their families and friends to tell them that she was on the way, but they didn’t know how long it was going to be. They also both officially started their paternity leaves from work, which they soon regretted as they no longer had something to do to distract themselves from her arrival.

George developed a habit of pacing, or maybe just going out of his way to walk by the sonogram pictures taped from the fridge, ranging from six months ago until the ones they had received last week. 

Matty, on the other hand, started checking things, two or three or four times over. He checked their baby bag, making sure it had bottles, onesies, diapers, wipes, and anything else they might need on their trip from picking her up from the hospital and bringing her to the house. He also repeatedly checked the car seat in the back of George’s SUV, which they had decided to use to drive to the hospital as it was the biggest and sturdiest of their two cars. Matty made detours to the garage frequently, even though it was cold, to make sure it was installed correctly. 

The worst was when it came time for them to sleep, and the two of them lay in the dark and staring at the ceiling, both of their phones on full volume in case anyone called. Once establishing that sleep would be near impossible, they turned on some Netflix and tried to relax, but neither of them really paid attention to the episodes. They didn’t fall asleep until very early that morning. 

The next day was even slower than the first, and driven mad by waiting, they kept each other occupied as best they could and never let their phones out of sight. 

.:.

When they saw her for the first time, all the waiting and stress instantly melted away. It didn’t matter anymore, not once they saw the small bundle of pink blankets waiting for them in the hospital’s nursery. 

They stood outside the room for a moment, looking through the large glass window at the newborns. All of them had their name tags on their carriers, written on a pink or blue glossy index card completed with their height and weight. One of the babies, the one on the far right, didn’t have a name on her pink information card, and when Matty and George saw that, they knew she was theirs. 

Matty teared up when he saw her, and he placed his head on George’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. George placed his hand over his shoulders and kissed the top of his head, burying his lips in Matty’s mess of curls. They stood proudly together like that for a moment, watching their daughter fuss beneath her blankets, until their social worker asked if they were ready to go get her. 

Matty adjusted the diaper bag on his shoulder, and George picked up the car seat that had spent so long picking out, and together they went into the nursery. 

When the nurse lifted her from her hospital crib and placed her into Matty’s arms, an overwhelming sensation washed over him, and in an instant, he felt his universe shift, the focus now on the small form resting in the crook of his arm. 

When he handed her to George, her eyes opened sleepily, where she caught George’s face looking down at her and made a small noise, refusing to close her eyes again until she was comfortably strapped into her car seat and bundled up again, and then drifted off to sleep. 

.:.

“How is she doing back there?” George asked, chancing a glance up to the rearview mirror as he drove down the highway. His eyes briefly caught the side of Matty’s face before returning to the road. 

“She’s still asleep,” he said, not moving his eyes from the small bundle in the car seat. “We’re almost home, right?” 

George’s knuckles, white on the steering wheel, clenched again as a car passed them. George muttered under his breath about speeding drivers, even though he was driving exceptionally under the speed limit himself. Any other day, he would have gone around the limit or just over it, but not today. Today, he remained in the slow lane, both hands on the steering wheel, his grip tight and his foot ready to brake. “Almost,” he said in reply to Matty. 

Matty, strapped in the backseat, sat next to the baby carrier that had never been used before. George had installed it in their car almost a month ago, even though it hadn’t been needed until now. Matty placed his arm around the back of it, as if that added an extra bit of security to the car seat, even though it was adequately installed already. He refused to take his eyes off of the bundle of blankets that seemed to be swallowed by the massive cushions and straps in the seat. 

She had little skin showing, as she was bundled so tightly, but her pudgy cheeks still stuck out from the swaddle. Her eyes were shut tightly in her sleep. Matty kept his gaze on her and watched as the blankets around her chest stirred as she breathed in and out. 

Suddenly, the car jostled as George hit an uneven spot in the road. George cursed from the front seat as Matty’s arm instinctively tightened around the carrier. “Sorry!” George called back. “Is she okay?” 

Matty watched the child for any signs of discomfort, but she remained fast asleep. “She’s fine,” he said. “Sleepy little thing,” he cooed, so softly that George couldn’t hear him. Matty didn’t like the baby being in her carrier; he missed touching her and holding her and listening to her little breaths and coos. He glanced out the window impatiently, and was happy to see they were almost in their neighborhood. 

When George pulled the car into the garage, he gently eased it to a stop and cut off the engine. He took a deep breath, then twisted around in his seat. “Ready?” 

Matty nodded excitedly, already unbuckling his own seatbelt. George exited the car and came around to the backseat, where he and Matty both unfastened the car seat from where it had been locked in place. Then, very gently, George lifted the carrier with the baby still snuggled into it. 

“This feels surreal,” Matty said. “We’re actually bringing her into the house.”  
George shut the car door behind him. “Do you think she’ll like her room?” he asked, even though it was an unimportant question. There was too much stress revolving around the occasion, so naturally he worried about everything. 

Matty fiddled with his key as he unlocked the door into the house, then held the door open for George as he followed behind with the baby carrier. “We can leave all the stuff in the car for a bit, right?” he asked, not ready to separate himself from the baby just yet and miss the first time they brought her into the house. 

“Let’s put her to bed first,” George decided, and Matty nodded. 

Their house, although small, was impeccably clean for the occasion. They had both turned to cleaning to keep themselves occupied. Every surface, floor, and piece of furniture was spotless. Even the pillows on the couch were fluffed from that morning, when they had left in a hurry for the hospital. 

The door to the nursery was open, just like they had left it. The drapes, closed to omit the afternoon sun, had a lovely floral print that Matty picked out at the store. 

When they got the baby carrier inside, George set it on the floor next to the crib. Matty flicked on the little pink lamp near the door, and a soft light emanated across the room. They stood next to each other, facing the crib. They eyed the small sleeping bundle in the carrier on the floor nervously. 

“So, uh,” George said. “Do we just… pick her up?” He eyed the sleeping child once more, trying to think of a more practical way to move her to her crib. 

Matty hesitated to answer, his mind whirring with the same problem. “I guess so. Like really gently? And just set her down, I think. On her back.” 

“Well, yeah,” George said, biting his lip anxiously. “But won’t she wake up?” 

Matty looked at him nervously. He felt a bit silly. They barely had the child home for five minutes and they were already confused. “I can call my mum, if you want, and ask what we should do?” 

George thought about it, but then he chuckled softly to himself. “Your mum will think we’re so dumb,” he laughed. “We don’t know what to do with her already, and we just got here.” 

“Do you want to hold her? You know, like to your chest like the nurses said to do,” he said. “That would be okay, I think. I don’t think it can be comfy to sleep sitting up like she is now.” 

George nodded in agreement after a moment of consideration and knelt on the floor to unfasten the little straps across the baby’s chest. His fingers felt uncommonly large as he tried to deal with the buckles, especially in comparison to the newborn baby’s tiny frame. 

Then, gently, George slipped a hand behind her head, another under her bum, and lifted her out of the carrier, trying to jostle her as little as possible. His hands covered nearly the entirety of her backside, she was so small. The baby gave a small heavy breath and fidgeted. 

Holding her close to his chest, George paused, exchanging a nervous glance with Matty as they mutually hoped she wouldn’t wake. Softly, George made a long hushing noise. She settled again quickly though, and didn’t budge any more. 

George proceeded to walk towards the glider in the corner of the bedroom, covered in neutral cushions and one pink pillow. He sat down slowly, the baby snuggled close to his chest, and the chair rocked them for a bit when they sat. George’s grip on her remained firm, and he could feel her tiny breaths coming and going under his fingertips. 

Matty watched admiringly as his husband sat with their new baby, able to see the top of George’s head as he pressed his lips to the top of the baby’s head. “She’s so small,” he said quietly. 

George smiled, looking down at the baby lovingly. “She is,” he said, his voice barely audible as it was a whisper. 

This felt like the first quiet moment either of them had been allowed in a very long time. The weeks leading up to the baby’s due date were stressful and filled with buying any last minute preparations for the baby’s room, and once at the hospital, their stress levels had only increased. Only now, in the silence and darkness of their daughter’s room, with their daughter actually in it, everything felt at peace. 

Matty reached for his phone and snapped a photo of George and their baby sitting together, unbeknownst to George. He then pulled up the text message chain with his mum and sent the photo to her. Beneath it, he typed out the photo’s caption. “Rosie’s home.” 

.:.

After many messages sent in the group chat with George and Matty’s closest friends, they were anxious to meet the new baby, and in the afternoon following Rosie’s arrival home, they stopped by. 

Instead of knocking, they sent a message to Matty and George announcing their arrival in case the baby was asleep, and George quickly answered the door. 

A smile broke onto his face as soon as he saw the faces of Ross, John, and Adam in the doorway. “Hey!” he greeted, his eyes catching on the wrapped packages the boys had in their arms. “What’s this?” 

“You and Matty just became dads,” John said enthusiastically. “We felt some celebrating is in order.” 

George smiled and opened the door wider and welcomed them in. “More celebrating? Goodness, you’re going to spoil her.” 

“Wouldn’t be so bad now, would it?” John asked rhetorically with a smug grin on his face. 

“Where’s Matty?” Ross asked as George closed the front door. “He’s not too tired after one night with her, I hope?” 

George laughed. “He’s just changing her, come on, he’s in here.” He led their friends through the entryway and into the living room, where Matty was still bent over the tiny squirming bundle on the changing table against the far wall, cooing at her. 

Matty turned when he heard his friends come in, his face brightening immediately. He greeted them before turning back to Rosie and fastening the last bit of her fresh diaper and dressing her in an onesie one more. 

John gasped when he saw her. “Look at that!” he exclaimed, his eyes softening when he saw Matty lift the newborn from the table. She made a small noise as he did so, and Matty hushed her softly. 

“It’s so good to see you guys,” Matty said, smiling at them. “Come sit, please. I’ll go put the kettle on.” He handed Rosie off to George and headed to the kitchen. 

George held her to his chest and sat on one of the chairs in the living room. 

“Tell us about her, George,” Adam asked, smiling. “She’s beautiful.”

George relayed the story he had called his own parents with yesterday, the numbers that resembled who his daughter was this early in her life. “Rosamund Healy-Daniel, born at 5:13 yesterday morning, 18 inches, 6 pounds and 10 ounces.” 

“How was last night?” Ross asked. “Bad as everyone says it is?” 

George shrugged. “We barely slept at all, but we mostly stayed up with her, you know, like watching her sleep and stuff. She only woke up four times.” He stared lovingly at her, as if he didn’t mind her irregular sleeping schedule in the slightest, or as if he loved her more for it.

“Only?” Ross asked, chuckling. “Goodness, that seems quite a lot.” 

George shrugged. “I don’t mind, at least not yet. Even when she cries for us, the noises are really cute.” 

Matty returned from the kitchen and sat next to his husband, and for the first time noticed the gifts that their friends brought. “Are those for us?” he asked, feeling a bit of excitement. 

“Oh dear,” George said. “You’ve awakened Matty’s adoration of presents.” 

Matty didn’t hear him though, and instead looked at the especially large one Adam had brought with him. 

“You can open them whenever,” Adam said. “They’re just some things for Rosie.” 

Matty smiled in gratitude, knowing that he and George truly had wonderful friends. He looked around the group of them sitting around the room, as they had done a million times since a very young age, but now it was a little different, as there was a whole new person here to join them. 

“Can I hold her?” John asked, looking at Rosie. 

Ross smiled, and checked his watch. “I knew you couldn’t make it five minutes…” 

John quickly replied, “Yes, well, she’s just so cute, can’t you see her?” 

Ross smiled at his husband. “I see her.” 

When George handed Rosie off to John, he didn’t miss the way John looked at her, nor did he miss the way John then looked pleadingly at Ross. Although it wasn’t his business so he didn’t ask, he already knew that John wanted a kid. He could also tell from the way Ross was hesitant around his husband holding a baby that the whole concept made him nervous and that he wasn’t ready yet. He had probably told John that already, but that wouldn’t stop John from wanting one. 

“She’s just so beautiful,” John said as he held the small bundle. “What’s her middle name? I don’t think you mentioned it.” 

George let Matty answer that one. “Annie,” he said, smiling proudly. “Rosamund Annie Healy-Daniel.” 

It was a name he’d spoken out loud many times over the past few weeks, sounding it out and making sure he liked the way it felt on his tongue. Announcing it to their friends felt a bit different, as it had a sense of finality. This was who she was, after all, and when Matty’s eyes caught George’s after he said it, they exchanged a proud glance with each other. Rosie was theirs, and this was where she belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little one shot I've been working on for the past few days. I had a lot of fun writing this! Hope you enjoyed x


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